Arena: Part One Page 14

  Racus moved in and attacked once again. He came in with the overhand attack again, but this time instead of lunging at Cole’s legs he spun around and slashed into Cole’s side. Cole went down from the blow. The sword had gone in between two of his ribs and cut him very deeply. Blood was pumping out of the wound in great spurts from between Cole’s fingers as he pressed his hand against the wound instinctively. He had dropped his sword in the dirt in front of him and his head was hanging low. Colston could not believe what was happening. Just like Thomas, Cole was going to fall to Racus.

  Cole ripped the helmet from his head to try and catch his breath. The crowd gasped at what they saw. The torn and ruined visage that Colston had grown to love, the face of Cole, was more than the onlookers could take. They began to chant “kill him, kill him, kill him” until Racus threw one sword in the dirt and grasped the other with both hands and raised it above his head. This was it. Tears began to form in Colston’s eyes. But just as all hope seemed to be lost Cole grabbed his sword and shoved it into Racus’ gut then pushed upward with all his might splitting Racus’ abdomen into two distinct halves. The sword stopped with the point sticking out of the top of his skull. Racus’ body fell straight back, his organs jostling loose as he hit the ground. The once mighty champion lay in the dirt, defeated.

  The crowd gasped collectively then Cole fell to his knees again in agony. It was over. Racus was dead and somehow Cole was still alive. Colston could not move. He could not speak. Just seconds before he was saying goodbye to Cole in his head. But now he was so stunned that he was not sure how to react. Just then he realized that Anna was squeezing his arm and making a noise that he could not quite describe. It sounded like a mixture of crying and cheering and when he looked at her he saw tears streaming down her face. He hugged her as hard as he could and kissed the top of her head.

  The medics were making their way to Cole now. They carried both him and Racus away on stretchers, though Racus was covered to hide the gore the crowd had already witnessed. Colston turned to Anna and spoke into her ear as the crowd was now on their feet cheering for their new champion as he was carried away.

  “We’ve got to get to Cole,” he said.

  “Okay,” was all she said as they stood and turned to go. Colston’s father was still sitting in the back of the box. He stared at them as they passed.

  “Where do you think you’re going, young man?”

  Colston ignored him entirely and left the box with Anna.

  33

  Jeremiah Woodley sat across from his father at their kitchen table. Colston sat between them.

  “It was quite the fight,” Jeremiah said. “And now I am without my champion.”

  “You should have thought about that before arranging the fight in the first place,” Mr. Carlson said.

  “Yes well, I was quite hopeful that Racus would be victorious. And he almost was.”

  “Yeah well, almost doesn’t count. Now pay up Jeremiah.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Jeremiah’s bony hands reached down beside his chair and, with great effort, pulled up a briefcase and set it on the table. He slid it across to Mr. Carlson who then grabbed it, spun it around and opened it. He looked at the rows of gold coins approvingly.

  “My understanding was that it was the boy’s fighter,” Jeremiah said.

  Mr. Carlson looked at Colston and then back at Jeremiah. He scowled at them both.

  “It was my money that bought that monster. That makes him mine I suppose.”

  “Very well then. Just trying to be fair is all.”

  “Ha,” his father said, “since when have you ever tried to be fair Jeremiah?”

  “Well then. I suppose it is time for me to go then if you are just going to insult me.”

  Jeremiah stood and pushed his chair back with the backs of his knees in one swift motion. He turned and walked towards the screen door then stopped and turned back toward them.

  “I understand the boy trained your champion,” he said.

  “I did,” Colston said.

  “So I suppose he is due a trainer’s fee at a minimum then.”

  Jeremiah smiled his wicked smile.

  “He’ll get what’s coming to him Jeremiah. Don’t you worry.”

  And with that Jeremiah nodded then turned and left. When he was gone Colston’s father closed the briefcase and snapped the the lock shut.

  “Let me be clear,” he said. “The only way you’ll ever see any of this is over my dead body. You understand?”

  Colston just stared at him. He knew that his words would be lost on him. So he did not bother trying. He simply continued to stare. His father lifted the briefcase with both hands and turned to carry it upstairs. He stopped at the staircase and turned back towards Colston.

  “When he’s better he’ll fight again. He fights when I say so. You may have trained that monster but I own him. And what I say goes in this family no matter how tough you think you are these days. What I say goes.”

  And with that he turned and lugged the overburdened briefcase up the stairs. Colston heard him shuffle along the hallway, then heard his door slam, then more shuffling and things being moved in the upstairs room. He did not care about the gold. He did not care about his father. He just wanted to be with his family. His real family. Anna and Cole. He walked towards the screen door then stopped and looked back at the stairs.

  “I understand,” he said then stepped outside into the heat of the day.

  Colston no longer cared about his father. No longer cared what he said or did, nor even what he thought of him. The time for that had passed. The time of waiting for his father’s love and approval had passed. Colston realized now, at long last, that he did not need his father anymore. And maybe, just maybe, he never had.

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  Arena: Part One

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